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About Me

Based in Prague, I am an English singer, song-writer, writer and teacher with a particular passion for acoustic/jazz music. I work as a soloist and also with a band: Ondrej Hlavsa (drums), Ondrej Malina (guitar) and Jakub Antl (bass). I also partnered with composer Daniel Kyzlink (as lyricist) for a work called The Rock Mass which was recently performed with the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra.I love songs which have poetic and evocative lyrics, but for me, music has to groove as well - it has to move you in some way.There are links here to some of the other projects I'm involved with, but the main purpose of this site is to encourage you to contact me and book me (or me + band) for a gig or workshop/seminar. Hope to hear from you, and thanks so much for visiting.

The Rock Mass

The Rock Mass is a project I have been working on (on and off) for about four years now as lyricist. I have been working closely with Czech composer Daniel Kyzlink: it is a breathtaking work scored for symphony orchestra, rock band and singers, and was premiered in the spring of 2013 by the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra conducted by French conductor Martin Lebel and with guest vocalists Gaz Twist and Kirsten Joy from the UK. The music is stunning: a fusion of genres with a strong rock undercurrent, yet with surprising excursions into orchestral fugues, symphonies and searing brass passages. Those who came to the premiere performances, performed to launch the new spa season in Karlovy Vary, described it as 'stunning' and 'awesome music'.
The work, whilst based loosely on themes from the Mass (there is a Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and so on) attempts to speak of spiritual truth without being 'religious'. Here's what I wrote for the press release:

The
Mass is an ancient rite in the Christian church. It is a sacrament — a door to
the sacred. Like an icon, a sunset, or a human face, it gives us a glimpse of
the divine, but this sacrament, above all others, leads us into profound truth
for it speaks of the heart of the Christian faith.Over
the centuries since Jesus spoke those immortal words, ‘this is my body, broken
for you, take — eat in remembrance of me,’ there have been many discussions
(sometimes heated) as to the theology or practice of this sacrament, but one
fact remains undisputed: the gift of Jesus to his followers was not a
theological theory, but a meal.These
musical reflections on the Mass offer a musical feast. We follow the major themes
of the Latin Mass, but there is no attempt to recreate the ancient sacrament.
Instead, we use music and lyrics to meditate on certain core themes within
Christianity — themes which include the nature of God, his gracious gift, and
the problem of evil, the latter a subject that has engaged philosophers and
divines for centuries. The central theme of the Mass is, of course, the
proposition that Jesus has dealt with this problem.So
as you meditate on these words and join us on this musical and spiritual journey,
we hope that you will be able to ‘take and eat’, to taste for yourself. If
there is nothing more profound here than pretty words and beautiful music, at
least you will have enjoyed some wonderful art. We hope that there is more, and
that this work will help you on your spiritual journey.

The new deluxe CD, recorded with the KSO + some amazing rock and jazz musicians, is now available! It includes an awesome 60-page book. To buy a CD or to find out more about the project (including song demos) please visit the main Rock Mass website. To help us with the project, please check out our Facebook page and 'like' it. Thanks!